To Love
by Hylianinja
Summary: Things have finally started to calm down in The World and Haseo is enjoying his time in the game once again. When he finally decides to tell Shino how he feels, how will she react?
1. Chapter 1

To love

Haseo opened his mail calmly for the first time in what seemed like years. He was no longer overcome with nerves and a sickening feeling in the pit of his stomach, wondering if he would come across any information about Tri-edge. All the fear bottled up inside about whether or not Shino would ever wake up again was now out of his system. He no longer had anything to worry about, at least for a while. Ovan was gone, and that event alone in which he disappeared had hurt him deeply, but he had slowly gotten over the shock. He had talked to Shino about it, and they had promised to stand-by and wait for his return, for they knew one day he undoubtedly would. The one thing he now felt as he opened up his inbox was relief and an enormous amount of thankfulness. He had made a pretty impressive amount of friends in Shino's absence, but that's just what they were; friends. He was happier than ever knowing that the one that meant more than anything to him, the one he sat beside hours on end in a hospital room for, was back among the living. And it was because of these friends of his that that was made possible. He was truly thankful to have all of them.

A message appeared on-screen alerting him to 3 new, unread e-mails. He closed the alert and scanned the contents of his inbox. The first message was from CC Corp, congratulating him on recently completing the Forest of Pain. He had enjoyed that event immensly, being able to spend time with Shino and his old friend, Tabby. Shino had been a great help in that event, and he found that he enjoyed it more going through it with a party, rather than solo, the way he once had in order to gain strength when Shino was first PK'd. He closed the e-mail as soon as it began to remind him of those memories and moved on to the more personal messages below. The next one was from Atoli. It was a reply to an e-mail he had sent her quite some time ago. He wondered why it had taken her so long to reply.

Sender: Atoli

Subject: Re: My decision

Please don't misunderstand, Atoli. When you ran out of the cathedral, I didn't run after you because I just so happen to be in love with you. I never said anything like that. You're a really good friend of mine, and I didn't want to see you end up getting hurt. But I didn't mean to give you the wrong impression either.

So I just want you to know that the feelings you have for me aren't mutual. I'm sorry, but Shino really means a lot to me. I hope you can understand..

I thought a lot about what you said, Haseo. And now I think I finally understand. Of course Shino means a lot to you; that's why you always fought so hard. Shino is really lucky to have someone like you who cares so much about her.

At first, I wasn't sure how to respond to your e-mail, so I didn't reply right away. I'm sorry. I hope you'll forgive me. I just wanted you to know that I'm okay with your decision. I understand how important Shino is to you and I'm glad the two of you are able to be together again.

Hey, when you have some free time we should all go adventuring!

Oh, and congratulations on completing the Forest of Pain! Was it difficult the second time around?

Sincerely, Atoli

Haseo sighed. The whole letter seemed mechanical to him, except for the last part, which sounded more like Atoli. He also didn't understand why she was apologizing. He knew she had a life away from The World. So did he. Either way, he was relieved she hadn't given up on their friendship, and had accepted his relationship with Shino. Atoli's feelings for him were never a big secret, and he was just glad she wasn't hurt by his choice. He decided to reply in celebration.

Sender: Haseo

Subject: Thanks a lot

It means a lot to me that you understand. And you don't need to apologize, I know you have a life away from The World.

The Forest of Pain wasn't as difficult as I thought it would be, since they were supposed to have upgraded it from the last time the event was held. Taking on the event with a party instead of going it alone made things a whole lot easier too. Wait a minute, how did you know I entered? Did Silabus tell you?

Anyway, thanks for everything you've done for me, Atoli.

He stopped once he typed in the last part. A simple 'thank you' just didn't seem like enough. Without her, he thought, he wouldn't have been able to understand how he felt toward Shino in the end. He flipped over to his greeting card list. After looking through them, he stopped at one that he thought might do the trick. He flipped back over to the e-mail, attaching a 'Motto' greeting card. Once that was sent out, he stared at the remaining contents of his inbox.

The last and final message was from Aura, which greatly surprised Haseo. He thought she had disappeared.

Sender: Aura

Subject: Gift

Use it well.

"Well, that was pointless." Haseo said to himself as he closed the e-mail. Checking the letter had seemed like a waste of time. He eyed the attachment, and figured it was the 'gift' mentioned in the e-mail. "I'll open it later." He told himself, closing the mail station.

With nothing important to do, and school not currently in session, Haseo decided to do something fun for once. All this time he had accessed The World seeking information, finding Tri-edge's whereabouts, or anything else related to Shino's recovery. He had played around with Ovan and all the strange occurences that had followed. And now all he wanted to do was something normal for a change, and he wanted to check up on Shino. He'd wanted to do something fun with her ever since she woke up, and although the Forest of Pain had been an enjoyable event, it wasn't really what he had had in mind for the two of them. He thought about taking her to a lost ground and catching up with things, but they had previously spent a day catching up already in Arche Kloen. He thought about going adventuring, but with rampant player killers still around, (although they wouldn't be a threat to him) he didn't want to risk anything happening to Shino.

A chime sounded, announcing the arrival of a new e-mail in the mail station. Still having not decided on what he would do, and curious about it's contents, he scrolled over to check his e-mail once again.

Sender: Silabus

Subject: Interesting quest

Hey, what's up Haseo? :) Gaspard's busy making up some school work and won't be online for a while, so I thought maybe we could do a quest together. Just like old times! Oh, and be sure to bring a friend along. You know how you need three people for a quest, remember?

See you at the quest shop in Breg Epona!

_Well, why not?_ Haseo thought. A quest did sort of sound interesting. There hadn't been one he couldn't complete so far. Although he didn't know what the quest was about, he closed the e-mail, without even bothering to reply, and dove into The World.

As soon as he logged in, he found himself standing in front of the chaos gate in Mac Anu. Before warping over to Breg Epona, he checked to see who was online. Naturally, Silabus was online, probably waiting for him at the quest shop. He needed one more person for the quest.

He scanned the list of member addresses and sighed when he noticed that Shino was offline; so was Atoli. Alkaid was online, but her status was busy. He scrolled further down the list. Endrance was also online, but when wasn't he? He thought about inviting him, but remembered that they had gone adventuring a couple days ago. And besides, he didn't feel like recieving Endrance's never-ending rain of praise and admiration. He had felt enough love from Atoli lately and it was almost enough for him to want to take a break from The World.

_Maybe I should log out for a bit and come back later? _Haseo thought dismally, knowing full well that in the real world there would be nothing for him to do. Or at least, nothing he wanted to do. He was about to log out when Shino came online, immediately bringing a surprised smile to his face. He sent her a flash mail.

Shino, Silabus and I are about to go on a quest in Breg Epona. Why don't you come along with us?

He waited for a reply.

Are you sure it's okay for me to join you?

_Why wouldn't it be? _Haseo thought. He sent another message.

Of course it is. He told me to bring a friend.

Shino replied.

I see. Then I'll meet you in front of the chaos gate in Breg Epona.

Haseo smiled. No matter how often they were together, she always managed to make him feel more at ease. She really was his reason for being in The World. Without another thought he warped to Breg Epona.

_I'll be waiting for you, Shino._


	2. Chapter 2

"Hey, you're late, Haseo!" Informed Silabus, standing outside the quest shop with his hands on his hips.

"Sorry about that." Haseo replied. "You're the one that told me to bring a friend, remember?"

"Oh yeah! Who else is going on an adventure with us?"

Silabus gasped as Shino stepped out from behind Haseo. "Atoli, is that you?" He asked, clearly shocked. "What made you decide to change your character all of a sudden?"

Haseo interrupted before things got overwhelming. "She's not Atoli!" He told Silabus. "Her name is Shino. Her and Atoli just have the same PC."

Shino introduced herself. "It's very nice to meet you, Silabus. Sorry for the confusion."

"Oh, no! Don't worry about it." said Silabus. "I'm sorry I confused you with someone else. It happens all the time." He paused to regain his composure. "I'm Silabus, the current guild master of Canard. It's nice to meet you too."

"So what's this quest about anyway?" Haseo asked, changing the subject.

Shino stepped forward to read the details.

"I've heard a lot about this quest." Silabus answered. "It's supposed to have high level monsters that rival the ones you fought in the Forest of Pain."

_So, he did know about it. _Haseo thought.

"I see. This one has to do with clearing the map of all enemies." Shino observed.

"Yeah," Silabus added. "And they're not like all the other enemies we usually see. These are all bosses."

"Oh, relax you two. We should be fine." Haseo told his party members. "As you both know, I've cleared the Forest of Pain...twice!"

"It doesn't hurt to be more careful, just in case." Shino said. "We should make sure we have plenty of healing items before we embark."

"You don't have to worry about that, Shino. I'm strong enough for all of us." Haseo said, walking up to her. "I won't let anything bad happen."

Shino smiled gratefully. "Well, then I guess we have nothing to worry about."

"Well then, shall we go?" Asked Silabus.

And with that the group headed off to complete their quest.

The field looked like any other normal playing field. The sky was bright and sunny, with hills surrounding the area. Trees were spread out randomly, and so were the enemies. The background music was calm and relaxing, almost trying to persuade the group to forget that they were on a quest.

But they were reminded of their task as soon as they stumbled upon a group of three, tall, skeletons with full-body armor.

"Watch your back everybody!" Silabus warned, pulling out his weapon.

The enemies revealed their weapons as well, as If they too were players instead of field monsters. Two of them had short swords while the third, apparently their leader, held an intimidating, heavy axe.

Haseo pulled out his heavy broad sword and prepared to vanquish the monsters. They were shielded; otherwise he would have pulled out his dual guns. "I'm going in!" He cried, rushing at the monsters.

Silabus followed him in while Shino stayed near the back, focusing on the health of the other two.

"Take this!" Haseo tore through the enemies' defenses with his shell breaker art. With their shields broken, he switched to his dual guns and began hitting all three of the enemies simultaneously.

"Nice going, Haseo!" Silabus cheered. When the enemies were hit enough times, Silabus went in for a rengeki. He hit one of the monsters as Haseo focused on the other, but they had forgotten the leader.

Haseo tried to locate the monster, but by the time he found it, it was already going after Shino. "Shino, watch out!" He tried to warn her. There was nothing he could do, since seeing her being attacked had left him open to the attacks of the other two enemies. He watched helplessly as Shino's character was sent flying against the wall of their battle area. He would've rushed over to help her had he not been paralyzed by the attacks he had sustained watching her get injured. _Damn it!_

The evil skeleton charged at Shino again, who would've surely recovered had she not been paralyzed by it's attack. He went completely berserk on her character, thrashing his axe about, knocking her around like a rag doll.

Haseo cursed himself for being so unreliable, and swore that once his paralysis wore off, every monster on the battlefield would be in hell.

"Shino!" Silabus called. Having finished his rengeki on the other monster, he charged toward the one attacking Shino.

It was an unbelievable sight. Now Silabus was paralyzed, and Haseo was beginning to lose his patience.

"You bastard!" Haseo roared. No longer paralyzed, he quickly targeted the monster that had attacked Shino and pressed the skill trigger. A swift weapon change to his most favored weapon, Lit Honeysuckle, combined with the brutal attack known as chaotic strike brought an end to the monster in a matter of seconds. Silabus and Shino both watched silently as Haseo changed weapons and tore through the other two monsters in one sweep with his overpowering scythe.

"Amazing..." Silabus commented. "You've gotten really powerful, Haseo."

Once the monsters were defeated, Haseo tucked his weapon away and walked over to Shino, kneeling down in front of her. She said nothing. Instead she looked up at him, waiting for him to speak. "Are you okay?" He asked, as if she had been injured in the real world. At this point, Shino was more concerned about him than about herself, since this wasn't the first time Haseo had acted this way in front of her.

"I'm fine, Haseo." she told him. "But I think you may be overreacting again."

Haseo looked down in shame and sighed. _Not again..._ He couldn't help it, feeling the need to protect her. She had been his only reason for playing the game; his only reason for existing inside of The World. He had decided long ago that he would exist in this world for her. "Yeah," He said and paused, scratching the back of his neck. "I guess I _have_ sort of taken it too far again this time, haven't I?" He almost felt like apologizing, not wanting to have things end up so awkward between them, especially after everything they had been through already. After all, he wanted to be a better person for Shino. Not just strength wise, but also...something he couldn't quite figure out just yet.

"It's okay, Haseo." Shino replied. "You don't have to worry so much. I'm right here and I'm not going anywhere." She placed her hands in his in order to give him some much-needed reassurance. "Okay?" She said, smiling kindly, the same way she had when they first met.

Haseo gladly accepted her hands; her gentle hands he would never forget. As they stood up together he slowly remembered all of their time spent together. It seemed as if it were only yesterday. "I'm right here." He said finally, a smile crossing his lips.

Shino continued to smile, almost as if she already knew what Haseo planned to say.

"I used to tell myself that while you were away." He told her. "I never knew why, but it gave me strength."

"Um, sorry to interrupt." Silabus declared, walking right in the middle of their conversation. "The monsters here are finished, so don't you think we should move on?"

Haseo and Shino quickly turned their attention to Silabus, both surprised by his sudden intervention. Haseo suddenly forgot why they had brought him along with them in the first place.

"Oh yeah, the quest." Haseo said aloud. Usually, he might be excited, but now he sounded rather disappointed.

Shino laughed at how easily Haseo's attention was thrown off track. "Maybe we should concentrate on the quest, for now." She said.

"Right!" Silabus added. "Cheer up, Haseo! Only a few more monsters to go!"

"Yeah, yeah." Haseo replied. It wasn't like he could get anything special for the quest anyway. Everything he wanted was already right in front of him. He stared at Shino, and remained unresponsive even after she ran off.

"What's the matter, Haseo?" Shino called, snapping Haseo out of his daze. She was running in the direction of the next battle. "Hurry! We're almost done!"

"Hey wait!" Haseo called after her. "You can't take them all on by yourself!"


	3. Chapter 3

Having gone out and adventured with Shino and Silabus, Haseo was beginning to feel like he was finally able to relax and enjoy the game again. He sighed heavily as he stared at his desktop, waiting for it to load and wondering what he should do. After the quest, Shino had said that she was going to take a break for a little while, but that she would log back on later in the evening. Until then, Haseo figured he would check out the mysterious attachment in the message from Aura that he had left untouched earlier.

"Let's see." He said to himself as his desktop finally finished loading. He skimmed over to his mail station, quickly tapping into the e-mail and downloading its attachment.

'Forever in Love has been added to the list of greeting cards,' a message informed him.

"Forever in Love?" He wondered aloud. "That's strange. I've never heard of that kind of greeting card."

He went over to the greeting card menu and highlighted the greeting card he was just given.

It read: 'Wedding Invitation.'

As he stared at the falling cherry blossoms on the card and the grunty that looked so much like him ringing a bell above the words 'marry me', a thousand questions racked his brain. "What kind of greeting card is this?" He questioned, feeling himself begin to blush. For a brief second he thought of sending it to Shino. "This is crazy!" He closed his mail station and decided to log-out and take a shower instead, knowing damn well in the back of his mind that he would be back to send the invitation later.

It was 6:45 when he reappeared in front of his computer. It hadn't been neglected so suddenly in quite some time, and needed extra time to reboot. When he was finally back at his desktop he opened up his mail station. There was a message from Atoli.

Sender: Atoli

Subject: Re: Motto

"To love. To love is not to look only at one another. It is to look together, in the same direction."

I believe Antoine de Saint-Exupery said that. It's a little different from a personal motto, but they're words that remain in my heart even now.

Sincerely, Atoli.

_What a random reply. _Thought Haseo after reading the e-mail. _Oh, yeah. That's right. _He thought. _The motto greeting card..._ He decided to share his thoughts, having no idea what she was talking about.

Sender: Haseo

Subject: Together

Someone to look together in the same direction with?

I guess that's one way to think of it.

And he left it at that. He hit send and started typing up a new e-mail.

Sender: Haseo

Subject: Wedding invitation

Shino, I got this in an e-mail. I think it's some sort of an event. Would you like to take part in it with me?

Don't worry; I'm sure it's nothing like the Forest of Pain. You won't see me freak out again, I promise!

When you come back online, meet me at Mac anu's chaos gate.

He re-read the e-mail several times, reworded it several more, but eventually decided that the original message said what he had wanted to say. Well, for the most part. He clicked send and sighed. The hard part was over. Then he gasped. He had forgotten to attach the greeting card! He opened up a new letter and began typing.

Sender: Haseo

Subject: The greeting card attachment

I'm so sorry Shino! I forgot to attach the invitation.

He attached it this time, double-checking to make sure before he sent it. _Good, now I can relax. _He thought. He closed his mail station and grabbed his headset. He wanted to check if Shino was online. He logged in and soon found that she wasn't. This didn't surprise him, however, since whenever Shino usually took a break she didn't come back until at least several hours later. He decided to go spend some time in the arena while he waited.

"Hey look it's Haseo! Long time no see!" A familiar voice called out. Haseo stopped in front of the arena counter and turned around.

"Alkaid!" He said cheerfully. "How have you been?"

"Well, I've been doin' okay, I guess." She said. "Planning on fighting in the arena?" She observed. "Mind if I join in?"

"Not at all." Haseo replied.

"Okay, great! Hold on a second."

Alkaid ran off, leaving Haseo by himself in front of the arena counter. After a few minutes, she returned with Endrance.

"Haseo...it's been so long," Endrance said. "How fortunate it is that we are able to meet again."

"Yeah, It's good to see you too, Endrance," replied Haseo.

"Endrance hasn't been feeling well." Alkaid told Haseo.

"Why is that?"

Endrance interrupted. "I am perfectly fine now that you are here by my side, Haseo. With you here, standing next to me, I feel as though I could die of pure happiness at any moment."

Alkaid spoke up next. "Well, I take it back. I guess he's fine now."

"Was something wrong before, Endrance?" Haseo asked out of curiosity. "Are you eating okay?"

"It's nothing physical, I can assure you." Endrance explained. "I was suffering from a pain deep within my very soul. Something that stemmed from your absence."

Haseo immediately felt sorry for not calling upon Endrance more often. He admitted to himself that he _had_ been neglecting their friendship lately. Actually, ever since Shino came back. "Well, I'm glad you're feeling better." He told him.

"Oh, Haseo." Endrance said, stepping closer to Haseo. He clasped his hands together to express his joy. "It makes me so happy that you worry about me. But I am perfectly fine now, and am ready to serve you well in the arena."

"Right." Haseo turned and walked toward the counter to register his new party.

Within moments they were in the lobby, waiting to start the match at anytime. But for some reason, Haseo hesitated. Usually, he would just run in and annihilate anything that came out onto the arena floor, but this time something was eating away at him. He thought about earlier; how he had worried Shino on their quest with Silabus. _Have I always been so serious when it comes to playing this game? _He wondered.

"Is something the matter, Haseo?" Alkaid asked. She approached him and waited patiently for an answer. "You don't look so good."

Endrance felt some sort of disturbance as well and decided to join her.

Haseo remained silent, the palm of his right hand against his forehead. He was unsure of what to say since he himself was unsure about what he was feeling. Normally, Shino was almost always on his mind. And whether it was healthy or unhealthy, he didn't care. Right now he couldn't bring himself to think about anything else other than what had happened, what had kept happening, whenever he and Shino were together. He still hadn't even told her how he felt. He thought that his actions would have said enough by now. Maybe _that_ was why he would overreact; because he couldn't bring himself to tell her how he really felt.

_You're breaking my heart, Shino._

"Are you okay?" Alkaid suddenly asked, her voice rose higher than before. Her digital hand waving in front of his face made him snap back into reality, or rather, their virtual reality.

"Yeah." Haseo replied. "I was just thinking."

"Well stop thinking!" She told him. "We have a battle to win!"

Endrance stepped forward. Being the expert in love that he was, he immediately saw straight through Haseo. "I understand now, Haseo." He said. "Something, or some person rather, is clouding your mind, even as we speak. The reason you distanced yourself from me is the same, is it not?"

Haseo was taken aback by Endrance's sudden comment. "What are you talking about?"

"I mean you're in love, aren't you, Haseo?" Endrance continued, probably speaking from personal experience.

"No way!" Alkaid spoke up, trying to hide her blush. "You're in love with somebody, Haseo?"

Well, there was no sense in hiding it when it was so apparently obvious. "So what if I am?" Haseo asked, trying to keep his emotions in check.

"Have you told that person how you feel?"

Haseo didn't reply. _What a stupid conversation this is turning out to be. _He sighed, deciding that he wouldn't answer Endrance's question.

"I see." Endrance moved closer to Haseo until he was able to place his right hand against Haseo's face. He caressed it while he spoke. "Haseo, if you care deeply about this person, so much in fact that you can honestly say you love them, then I think they have a right to know how you feel."

Haseo took in Endrance's words, but gave no reply. Instead he closed his eyes and just let it all sink in. There was a truth to be found within Endrance's words, and he could feel it. _Shino..._

"Then again, maybe simply being next to this person and supporting them is all they need to know that you cherish them. At least, that's how it is for me. Sometimes our actions can speak louder than saying simple words. The important thing is that you show this person how you feel."

Haseo took in a deep breath and opened his eyes. He now had a new perspective on things. "I think you're right, Endrance." He said calmly. "I think I might just let her know how I feel."

"Excuse me," Alkaid broke into the conversation. "We're not talking about Atoli, are we?"

Haseo turned to face Alkaid as Endrance removed his hand from Haseo's face. "No, why?" He asked.

"Well, she seems to really enjoy being with you."

Haseo thought for a moment. "That's true," he finally said. "But I really enjoy being with someone else. I'm just not sure if _they_ feel the same way."

"Then you should find out, Haseo." Said Endrance. "I'm sure those feelings of yours will reach them just as they reached me not too long ago."

"I think Endrance is right, Haseo." Alkaid added. "You should just go for it, just like you always do!" She made a fist and pretended to punch the air in front of her to further her point. "Aim at the one you love like every foe you've ever faced in the arena!"

Haseo laughed to himself. Alkaid sure knew how to cheer him up. "Whatever you say, Alkaid." He walked over to the warp point that would begin their arena match, but before he activated it, he turned to face his friends once again. "Thanks for all the advice. I'm afraid I'm not as good with love as I am with arena battles."

Alkaid smiled, more than happy that she was able to help Haseo. "No problem!" She said. "You just need to push yourself a little more."

"Never be afraid to show your true feelings to the one you love, Haseo." Said Endrance. "To love is to live freely beside the person that matters most to you, so don't hold anything back."

"Thanks guys." Haseo said, turning back toward the warp point. "Now let's win this battle!"

When they were done at the arena, Haseo said good-bye to Endrance and Alkaid.

"Good luck, Haseo." Endrance told him.

Alkaid agreed wholeheartedly. "Yeah, go get 'em, tiger!"

Haseo was thankful to have such admirable friends. Having played most of the day already, he logged out and decided to take a nap. He took his friend's advice to heart, and hoped Shino would be online by the time he woke up.


	4. Chapter 4

Haseo woke up to the sound of his cell phone ringing. He got up and looked for it, half asleep, and by the time he found it, the person had already hung up. He looked at the screen and his jaw dropped when he read the time. It was 10: 33. He flipped open his cell to read the call history: 2 missed calls, Nanao Shino. There was also one message in his voice mailbox. "Man, I really screwed up!" He said aloud. He jumped off of his bed and practically leaped onto the chair in front of his computer, slapping on his headset. When his desktop awoke from sleep mode, an all too familiar chime informed him that 3 new e-mails had arrived in his absence. He ignored them and went straight for The World.

The World could not have loaded any slower. Haseo almost screamed when he realized he was in a whole other root town. He had told Shino to meet him in Mac anu, and there he was, waiting for Lumina Cloth to load. It took more time than he had preferred, but he wound up getting to mac anu with his sanity still intact.

"Shino." Haseo said as he approached her. Shino's back was facing him. He immediately apologized. " I'm sorry I made you wait. I was taking a nap and didn't hear my cell phone go off."

"Liar." She said.

_Huh?_ That made him feel guilty. Just being the one who invited her and not showing up before she did had already made him feel bad, but that last comment hurt slightly. He wondered if she was really accusing him of being a liar, but he didn't let it get to him. He didn't want anything to ruin their special event together, especially another misunderstanding.

Shino chuckled the cutest way imaginable and stepped toward Haseo.

"What's so funny?" He asked, embarrassed that she would share such a kind laugh with him. _She sure is acting strange. _He thought.

"Let's get going, Haseo. I'm not the only one who's been waiting." Shino said, turning toward the door to the outside of Mac anu.

"You mean this isn't just an event for _us_?" Haseo asked, fairly surprised.

"Did you want it to be?" She asked, turning around to eye him as she did.

Haseo blushed beneath his headset. His heart beat more noticeably within his chest, and he didn't know how to reply to what she had just said without sounding nervous.

Shino began walking.

Haseo followed her slowly. When they got to the bridge, she waited for him, and from that point on they walked to where the event was to take place together, side-by-side.

The wedding event was hysterical. Everyone was laughing and smiling, celebrating the union of Shino and Haseo. There was even a cake, with little figurines on the top! From high above their audience, Haseo could see Endrance, Alkaid, Silabus, and even Atoli. Everyone seemed to be having a really good time. And not seeing Atoli offended at all by what he had decided to do made the evening all the more enjoyable.

"Let's get out of here, Haseo." Shino told him, almost playfully.

Haseo looked over at his lovely bride. She was gorgeous. And with her hand in his, ready to let him take her anywhere, how could he deny her request? "Where do you want to go?" He asked.

"The cathedral." She replied, closing her eyes as if she were trying to recall something. "There's something I need to tell you."

Her request made sense to Haseo. It _was _a wedding event after all. And people usually get married in churches anyway. "Then we're off to the cathedral!" He said triumphantly. They smiled at each other before dashing away from everything, hand-in-hand, toward the boat bent on returning to Mac anu. It took them several minutes, but they eventually found themselves at the Hulle Granz Cathedral.

The cathedral, the place where Shino was first placed into a coma, was the same as ever as they entered it together.

"Haseo," Shino paused, carefully thinking of the way she would word her next sentence. "Remember when I said I had been watching over you all this time?"

"Yeah," Haseo confirmed uneasily. Somehow her questioning him once again in this place made him feel awkward.

"Well, I'm also a strong person. I can look after myself as well. So, please don't worry about having to protect me from now on."

"But Shino," Haseo hesitated, not wanting to sound to her as desperate as he felt. His heart ached; he had to tell her how he felt somehow. _Shino, how can you still not understand? Everything I've done in The World, for as long as I can remember has been for you. I love you, and if you really had been watching me all this time, you would've seen that. _The words just came out. "Don't you see? It's not about whether or not I _should_ protect you." He told her. "I _want _to protect you, Shino."

There was a brief bit of silence before she replied. "I think maybe it's time you had someone watch over and protect _you. _Don't you think?" She asked.

Haseo found himself looking away from her, just like he always did. If that gentle smile of hers was faked for his sake, he didn't want to see it. But he couldn't help looking at her either way, out of the corner of his eye.

"You've been fighting so hard all this time." Shino said. "But I'm here now, Haseo. And now I'm going to do what I can to protect you."

"But if you were to watch over me," Haseo asked, looking down, "who would look after you?"

"Well, we'll just have to look out for each other then, won't we?" She reconciled, walking slowly up toward the ever familiar alter in front of them; the place where Aura's statue had been once a long time ago.

Haseo looked up. Shino always looked so elegant to him with her back turned, but even more so now with her wearing a wedding gown. But he had seen her backside too often. Seeing her turn and walk away from him so easily made a part of him ache. He thought he could never do the same. But he _had. _He had made that mistake already when they were first reunited in the very same cathedral they were standing in now. The whole thing had honestly burned him out. But he had to see Atoli that day. He had to sort out his feelings so that he and Shino would be able to spend time together, like this, just like they were now. He was happy that his heart still belonged to Shino, especially after all that had happened. He was worried that him running after Atoli had given her the wrong impression. Maybe subconsciously, that was why he had invited her to this event; to make it up to her. Once she stopped in front of the alter, he stopped admiring her backside and abandoned the memories of their regretful reunion to follow her. Just because she could turn her back on him didn't mean he would do the same.

"He's really gone this time, isn't he?" She asked.

Haseo knew she was talking about Ovan. _How can you still think of him? _Haseo wondered. That was probably the reason behind her wanting to come to this place. Her reminiscing about Ovan was becoming almost as obsessive as Haseo overreacting in battle over Shino's condition. Their ties to each other certainly were strong. Even so, he didn't want to think about Ovan, especially not at a time when they were supposed to be happy. Or maybe, he was really just thinking of himself; his own happiness. He thought of Atoli, and what she had said earlier. And about what Alkaid and Endrance had told him.

"S-Shino." He said, getting Shino's attention.

She simply turned to look at him.

Haseo on the other hand, couldn't face her, and instead of walking over to stand beside her, he looked down, dreading the negative outcome his confession might have. It was so fitting now, when he thought about it. Being in the church and confessing; pretty ironic. He breathed softly, and felt his heart beat within his chest. When he tried to speak at first, the words wouldn't come.

"Sh-shino." He swallowed. He hadn't noticed before how tight his throat was. All he could say was her name. Like every other time when he wanted to tell her more than anything how he felt.

Shino turned around, now fully facing Haseo. Her wedding gown glowed in the light shining from the stained glass window above where they stood, and it didn't make things easier for Haseo.

She truly was mesmerizing.

"Haseo, " Shino asked, breaking Haseo's train of thought. She sounded extremely calm despite Haseo's urgent situation. "Why did you choose me for this event?"

"Why?" Haseo was confused, and momentarily threw out all thoughts of confessing his feelings. "What do you mean?"

"You don't think there's someone else who would've been happy to join you?"

"Someone else?" Haseo asked, getting rather annoyed. Why start interrogating? "Who the _hell_ are you talking about?"

"Well," Shino turned her back to Haseo and said, " what about Atoli?"

_That_ did it. Haseo couldn't take it anymore. Once again, he snapped. "Why does _everyone_ always have to bring _her_ up?" He raised his voice. "We're _not_ in love with each other! I'm in love with-"

"-Me?" She interrupted, finishing his sentence for him.

Haseo gasped, choking on his words. He really didn't mean to let that slip out. "Shino, I-"

"Is that _really_ how you feel?" She asked, almost testing him.

Haseo looked at her. _How could she?_ _Shouldn't it be obvious? _If she was going to shoot him down though, she could at least tell him to his face and stop hinting at it. _Get it over with! _That calm, overly pleasant look of hers as she turned back to look at him was killing him on the inside. Haseo knew she still wasn't over Ovan. It was as clear as him not being over her himself. He knew Shino was probably just encouraging him to get over her, and go along with someone else so that she wouldn't have to worry about him tagging along with her. It was all a tangled mess, but it was probably true. And he didn't want Atoli in the middle of everything, making the situation even more complicated than it already was. This had nothing to do with _her_.

"Is it wrong?" Haseo responded, lowering his voice. For a moment he thought he might not be able to speak, but his willpower overtook him. Tangled web or not, he couldn't leave her alone to dwell on someone else; someone who may not _ever_ look her way. Even if she wouldn't ever look _his_ way, he still wanted to stand by her. He smiled to himself at that single, comforting thought. "No, I don't think it's wrong that I still love you. That I still want to stand by you." He walked closer so that they were standing side-by-side. "That I want to protect you."

Shino was shocked and didn't say anything at first. Haseo figured she was just trying to swallow everything he had just said, since he was trying to do the same.

"Haseo." She finally said. Her voice sounded somewhat distant in Haseo's headset.

His eyes opened wide when he saw virtual tears streaming down her face.

"W-what? Why are you crying?" He asked, somewhat scared. _What the hell did I say now?_

Shino sniffed and said, "I'm very sorry, Haseo. But I'm the same as you. I just can't seem to let go of Ovan. And you asking me to do that is like me asking you to-"

"-Hey, wait! I'm not asking you to do _anything_!" Haseo instinctively placed his hands on both sides of Shino's shoulder, trying to hold her together. "I just want you to accept my feelings. You don't _have_ to stop liking Ovan."

"Then what should I-?" Her voice was shaking.

"You don't have to do anything." Haseo told her, pulling her into a strong embrace. "Just don't try to talk me into loving anyone else for a while. It's just not going to happen."

Shino smiled behind her headset as she wiped the tears away from her eyes.

The whole cathedral was still; even the background music had stopped. You couldn't even hear a pin drop. The two of them just stood together, holding onto nothing but each other.

Eventually, Shino's voice rang out as they broke their embrace. "Thank you, Haseo."

They stood side-by-side again, starring at the beautiful stained glass window above them. "We'll wait together for Ovan to return." He told her.

"So, until then, please let me stay with you."

Shino turned to face Haseo, surprised at what he had said. When their eyes met, she smiled.

"I won't leave you all alone like he did." Haseo added. "I promise."

The two stood together, hand in hand, peacefully contemplating what it truly meant to love someone.


End file.
